02/26/2013

Montgomery's move

Oklahoma announced earlier tonight that it had hired Michigan's Jerry Montgomery to coach its defensive line as part of Bob Stoops' Sooners staff. Montgomery will replace Jackie Shipp, who joined Todd Graham's staff at Arizona State as its defensive line coach, a move Arizona State announced today.

"You always hate to lose members of your staff, but you know going in that at a program like Michigan, other schools and NFL teams are going to come after them," Wolverines coach Brady Hoke said in a statement. "However, I am confident that we will name a new coach who fits in very well with our staff soon."

No pun intended, but "Soon" might mean "sooner" rather than "later" - Michigan is scheduled to start spring football practices March 16, two and a half weeks from now.

Via SoonerSports.com, Stoops noted Montgomery's forte in recruiting:

"I have closely followed Jerry's progress as he has ascended through the coaching ranks. I have been impressed by his ability to recruit some of the nation's top student-athletes and then develop their skills once they arrive on campus. We are excited to have Jerry and his family join the Sooners."

In working on today's Blade story about the effect Montgomery's impending move could have on Michigan's recruiting - notably his ability to relate to high school juniors and seniors, and how he became the point person in working with and wooing several notable recruits to Ann Arbor - ESPN's report that Montgomery has already reached out to some of Michigan's recruits on behalf of Oklahoma didn't surprise me.

Instead, it raises a question: in college athletics, and especially so in recruiting, is there truly loyalty? But that's another blog for another day.

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Denard Robinson wrapped up the NFL combine this weekend and his metamorphosis continues. The converted quarterback ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and even though he admitted that he is only about 60 percent recovered from a nerve injury sustained in October at Nebraska, Yahoo! Sports reported that Robinson showed clear gains in receiving drills in Indianapolis, after his play at the Senior Bowl in January. From Yahoo's Shutdown Corner:

While not perfect in all aspects, Robinson was able to show a better grasp of the little things that make receivers good at the pro level. His cuts in routes were much more concise, his overall route concepts were far smoother, and he was able to adjust to a couple of overthrown passes. It was a relative triumph for a guy that looked like anything but a real pass-catcher just a month ago.